How difficult is the pre trip? How difficult is the two week training in general? I'm going into training next week.

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If there is something you don't understand hake sure you ask...no matter how small. Btw, once you get out there on your own you will learn more from watching others and making mistakes... just make sure the mistakes you make are small...

There was some guy on here that claims he went through feeder training in 3 days and had never been in a semi before in his life. He said he started on a Tuesday and got his CDL on a Friday. I don't know any other person on this planet who could do what he did. Memorize the 80+ pre-trip steps, learn how to shift a 10 speed, learn how to back. Most CDL training is 3 to 4 weeks long, but he says he did it in 3 days. Two weeks will be hard enough. Pre trip is memorizing everything you see on the truck, from mirrors to tires/rims/breaks/ air brake chambers, leaf springs, u bolts..to everything on the engine-alternator, turbo, intercooler tubes, air dryer, the stearing components (steering shaft, pitman arm, drag link, steering arm, tie rod). You need to memorize just about everything you see and say to the instructor "securely mounted, not cut, cracked, bent, broken, or missing." Luckily the semi is a mirror of itself on each side, so once you memorize the (outside) right side, it's the same for the left side. You will need to know how to do the air brake check (build up air pressure to 120psi, shut off engine, put in 1st gear or chock wheels, push in yellow/red emergency brakes, wait 1 min and pressure shouldn't drop more than 3psi. Now hold your foot on the service brake for 1 min and air pressure shouldn't drop more than 4psi. Then pump the brakes....between 60 & 40psi the alarm should sound, then between 40 and 20psi the emergency brakes should pop. Let's see then you need to learn how to double clutch a 10 speed. Only tap the clutch, don't push it in all the way. Backing takes time to master. You'll need to back close to 100 times before you get the idea of how to do it right. Always pull way up when setting up so when you start to back, you don't have to jackknife so sharply doing a 90 or even 45 degree back. So even though I don't work at UPS, CDL training is pretty similar across the spectrum. It's very difficult. You may even think you're learning to fly an airplane in how difficult it will be at first. Remembering that you're pulling that big trailer behind you and remembering to take wide turns. And remember this "it's better to take space and not need it than to not take the space and need it." Give yourself all the room you can take when you're turning. If you don't need it, fine, but if you do and don't have the space, you're screwed. It will be intense training and you may even question if you can do it, but to be making the money you'll be getting when you're done-heck yeah you'll do it. Get through that training and you're on your way to making $100K at UPS. You need to do whatever it takes to get through that class.....even if it means not "having fun" with others in the class who want to go sightseeing in the afternoon. Just think about all that money you'll be making to keep you motivated while in training.

I think about 2-3 years ago a bunch of states standardized the CDL testing. From what others told me our states test became much more difficult to pass and most of it was because of the pretrip. Some would also say the parallel parking was tougher but I thought that was actually easier than the dock back it replaced.

When I tested the examiner told me that so many people were failing the air brake portion of the test that they actually made that the first thing they tested so they could do more tests per day. I was the only person out of 7 being tested who actually made it out of the pretrip.

There are videos online that will give you an idea of what you will be doing. Its up to you to plug the info your state uses into the script and learn the components you are talking about. There are things that fedx mentioned above that differ from my state and I'm sure there are things I had to do/say that would be incorrect in his state.

The person testing also is a big deal...my guy said don't mention it if I'm not using it (pintle hook for example) but others I know had to mention it was probably mounted and secure.

There was some guy on here that claims he went through feeder training in 3 days and had never been in a semi before in his life. He said he started on a Tuesday and got his CDL on a Friday. I don't know any other person on this planet who could do what he did. Memorize the 80+ pre-trip steps, learn how to shift a 10 speed, learn how to back. Most CDL training is 3 to 4 weeks long, but he says he did it in 3 days. Two weeks will be hard enough. Pre trip is memorizing everything you see on the truck, from mirrors to tires/rims/breaks/ air brake chambers, leaf springs, u bolts..to everything on the engine-alternator, turbo, intercooler tubes, air dryer, the stearing components (steering shaft, pitman arm, drag link, steering arm, tie rod). You need to memorize just about everything you see and say to the instructor "securely mounted, not cut, cracked, bent, broken, or missing." Luckily the semi is a mirror of itself on each side, so once you memorize the (outside) right side, it's the same for the left side. You will need to know how to do the air brake check (build up air pressure to 120psi, shut off engine, put in 1st gear or chock wheels, push in yellow/red emergency brakes, wait 1 min and pressure shouldn't drop more than 3psi. Now hold your foot on the service brake for 1 min and air pressure shouldn't drop more than 4psi. Then pump the brakes....between 60 & 40psi the alarm should sound, then between 40 and 20psi the emergency brakes should pop. Let's see then you need to learn how to double clutch a 10 speed. Only tap the clutch, don't push it in all the way. Backing takes time to master. You'll need to back close to 100 times before you get the idea of how to do it right. Always pull way up when setting up so when you start to back, you don't have to jackknife so sharply doing a 90 or even 45 degree back. So even though I don't work at UPS, CDL training is pretty similar across the spectrum. It's very difficult. You may even think you're learning to fly an airplane in how difficult it will be at first. Remembering that you're pulling that big trailer behind you and remembering to take wide turns. And remember this "it's better to take space and not need it than to not take the space and need it." Give yourself all the room you can take when you're turning. If you don't need it, fine, but if you do and don't have the space, you're screwed. It will be intense training and you may even question if you can do it, but to be making the money you'll be getting when you're done-heck yeah you'll do it. Get through that training and you're on your way to making $100K at UPS. You need to do whatever it takes to get through that class.....even if it means not "having fun" with others in the class who want to go sightseeing in the afternoon. Just think about all that money you'll be making to keep you motivated while in training.

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All mounting hardware is present, it is secure, it is not missing....

Excellent write up of the process.

I'm not with UPS, but that is pretty much the process I went through in two weeks from never being in a tractor, to getting my class A from an apprenticeship with a major LTL carrier.

I had hostling experience which helped with backing and the maneuvers, but in those two weeks of training, I spent four to five hours every night after training reviewing my pre-trip. It's about a thirty minute script you have to recite word for word to the dmv instructor.

The air brake test vocabulary has to be PERFECT, or you don't roll out of the yard. There is no leeway on this.

How difficult is the pre trip? How difficult is the two week training in general? I'm going into training next week.

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I just went through 2 week feeder school and got my CDL !!!!

I thought the same as you. How am I going to remember all 100 points of the pre trip ?
The pretrip is easy as long as you do everything the same way and don't skip over parts as you scan the truck.
During school, we would take a video from our phones as someone good pre tripped down the exact truck you'd be taking to the test.
This made it easy to watch at home and study. It became second nature as my test day came.

If you speak confidently through the pretrip and nail your air brake tests, you'll make an impression on the DMV instructor.

I'm not with UPS, but that is pretty much the process I went through in two weeks from never being in a tractor, to getting my class A from an apprenticeship with a major LTL carrier.

I had hostling experience which helped with backing and the maneuvers, but in those two weeks of training, I spent four to five hours every night after training reviewing my pre-trip. It's about a thirty minute script you have to recite word for word to the dmv instructor.

The air brake test vocabulary has to be PERFECT, or you don't roll out of the yard. There is no leeway on this.

I think about 2-3 years ago a bunch of states standardized the CDL testing. From what others told me our states test became much more difficult to pass and most of it was because of the pretrip. Some would also say the parallel parking was tougher but I thought that was actually easier than the dock back it replaced.

When I tested the examiner told me that so many people were failing the air brake portion of the test that they actually made that the first thing they tested so they could do more tests per day. I was the only person out of 7 being tested who actually made it out of the pretrip.

There are videos online that will give you an idea of what you will be doing. Its up to you to plug the info your state uses into the script and learn the components you are talking about. There are things that fedx mentioned above that differ from my state and I'm sure there are things I had to do/say that would be incorrect in his state.

The person testing also is a big deal...my guy said don't mention it if I'm not using it (pintle hook for example) but others I know had to mention it was probably mounted and secure.

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I studied online before I took the permit tests.
There are so many great Youtube videos and free test websites.
I still was hit with questions that I never saw, so going through your state CDL booklet at least once for the oddball questions should happen.

I think about 2-3 years ago a bunch of states standardized the CDL testing. From what others told me our states test became much more difficult to pass and most of it was because of the pretrip. Some would also say the parallel parking was tougher but I thought that was actually easier than the dock back it replaced.

When I tested the examiner told me that so many people were failing the air brake portion of the test that they actually made that the first thing they tested so they could do more tests per day. I was the only person out of 7 being tested who actually made it out of the pretrip.

There are videos online that will give you an idea of what you will be doing. Its up to you to plug the info your state uses into the script and learn the components you are talking about. There are things that fedx mentioned above that differ from my state and I'm sure there are things I had to do/say that would be incorrect in his state.

The person testing also is a big deal...my guy said don't mention it if I'm not using it (pintle hook for example) but others I know had to mention it was probably mounted and secure.

@fedx could have been referencing me as well. I had 5 days of training and had never been in a tractor a day in my life. Every day we focused on pretrip. Over and over and over again. It just gets drilled into you. They taught me how to drive it one day, pull a trailer the next day and show me how to back and the last three days just repeated everything they put in my the first 2.5 days. 6th day they took me to for my test. After passed the test, the next week they teach you how to set up and tear down doubles. The week after that I was on the road by myself. I'm off today but tomorrow will be day 18 for me.